Penn State wants to take this big-name assistant away from his alma mater of Oklahoma

Losing Ja'Juan Seider to Notre Dame is a tough blow for Penn State. While the Nittany Lions did rip Jim Knowles away from rival Ohio State, this is the offseason for the Nittany Lions to get after it. They are coming off their best season in decades after having made the College Football Playoff and won multiple playoff games. James Franklin has a team capable of winning a national title next season.

However, he needs the right running backs coach to replace Seider in Andy Kotelnicki's offense. The name that On3's Pete Nakos threw out there earlier this week was Oklahoma running backs coach DeMarco Murray. He has been in that role at his alma mater since 2020. Murray was a star for Bob Stoops in Norman before having a brief, but excellent pro career with three different NFL franchises.

While it seems as though Murray is more inclined to stay put at Oklahoma than leave for Penn State, you have to appreciate Franklin for making the push. Murray has been in Norman as an assistant coach during a chaotic time for the Sooners, but it seems as though he has grown fond of their new offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. If Murray ever left, it would be a terrible look for Brent Venables.

Franklin's push for Murray goes to show how hard these coaches are going about filling their staffs.

James Franklin is trying to poach DeMarco Murray away from Oklahoma

While it may not manifest for Franklin being able to successfully land Murray, it just goes to show what leaders of other college football blue-bloods think of the current state of the Sooners. This was a top-three program all time before the latest wave of realignment. We are talking about a top-five job in the sport, the cream of the crop of the old Big 12, only to become another version of SEC Auburn.

Oh, do not get me wrong. I still think you can win national championships at Oklahoma, but the game has changed on the Sooners. It is not just about beating Texas any more, but rather holding your own vs. the Longhorns and the 14 other teams that make up the SEC. The pressure is all the way turned up on Venables, but not even his departure could ruin the reputation Murray has with this fan base.

To me, this has something to do with Murray liking his new offensive coordinator, or willing to give him a chance more than anything. Unfortunately, I think it also suggests that Venables continues to be a questionable to bad fit for the program. We all understand why Cale Gundy had to go, but he also fired another OU alum in Seth Littrell less than a season on the job as the Sooners offensive coordinator.

What I am getting at is Oklahoma is going to pin another bad season on Venables and get rid of him should it get ugly. In that case, Oklahoma probably needs to get rid of the athletic director who gave him that ludicrous contract extension in Joe Castiglione. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. So what does this have to do with Franklin trying to poach Murray? It has everything to do with it, folks!

It may not be Franklin's intention, but he is not giving off the vibes that he respects what Oklahoma has devolved into under its current head coach. Obviously, he recognizes talent on Venables' staff, but the head of the snake has the Sooners going an endlessly wrong direction. If Penn State were to land Murray, then that would feel ominous for what is surely to come in Oklahoma after next season.

If you can poach a college legend away from his alma mater's staff, what does it say about the team?